1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a catheter equipped with a pressure sensor and adapted to measure the blood pressure in the cardiovascular system, particularly, in the left ventricle of an animal to be tested. The term "animal" as used herein should be construed in a broad sense so that it embraces mammals, particularly, experimental mammals and patients.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often required to determine the waveforms of blood pressures of animals over long periods of time under non-anesthetic conditions, for example, in order to conduct efficacy tests on heart medicines or to effect diagnoses of circulatory organs.
For these purposes, catheters equipped with pressure sensors at the tips thereof are employed.
Conventional catheters of the above sort are however formed of woven "DACRON".RTM. or the like from the viewpoint of imparting hardness suitable for insertion into and through blood vessels. Accordingly, these conventional catheters frequently developed such problems that they were themselves bent by animals' movements and their internal lead wires were broken and disconnected.